Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Enertia

The more research I do on electric motorcycles, the more incredible products I find. Today some searching has led me to the Brammo website and the Enertia electric motorcycle.

Link: http://brammo.com/
Photo (via MSN Autos): http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=434471

I’m excited about this bike for two main reasons: Styling and Utility.

Styling: The Enertia looks fantastic. It has a modern industrial look that is very current (think Nissan Xterra or Scion Tc). It does remind me a bit of the Aprilia Moto 6.5 design from 1990’s (here’s a link: http://www.bikepics.com/aprilia/moto650/). It looks like a real motorcycle with full sized wheels, foot pegs (versus step-thru scooter designs), and bodywork that alludes to conventional fuel tank and engine locations. The solo seat pulls in a streetfighter or chopper feel. Overall it has a great design that is approachable and modern enough to gain the attention of someone new to motorcycling or curious about EV’s, but commanding enough to turn the heads of more seasoned sport riders. It’s a great styling approach, and probably makes their marketing people happy because it is unique and can be readily identified with the brand. In silhouette, the Enertia will not be confused with a Harley Davidson or a Japanese sportbike.

Utility: The Enertia’s performance is said to be on par with a Kawasaki Ninja 250 (but with far greater torque at any RPM due to the electric motor). Top speed is around 50 mph and distance between recharges is 40 to 50 miles. This makes the bike highly useable for an urban commuter that doesn’t have to take a major highway to and from work. A rider can potentially ride to work (in style!), park the bike without worry of finding an electrical outlet, then ride back home and recharge over night. Recharge time is 3 hours for a full charge, which is reasonable for the level of performance and range the Enertia is capable of. To sum things up; performance is acceptable to an average urban commuter familiar with motorcycle, scooter, or even bicycle transport.

Reading through the Enertia website, I’m excited about the bike and the company. I could go on and on about the use of carbon fiber and other well thought out aspects of the Enertia design. I have a lot of respect for their philosophy, design, and engineering. I have to admit that it’s always been my dream to work for a motorcycle manufacturer and I’d be a part of their team in a second! Ah, if only they were on the East Coast; I’d be knocking on their door to see if they could use an environmentally conscious Mechanical Engineer with automotive, aircraft, and truck experience and a background in art and motorcycle mechanics…

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